Shredding machines have taken a wide variety of different forms. Many such machines have included blade assemblies. While such machines have been acceptable for many uses, many such machines have been deficient because of the relative complexity involved in adjusting the blades after the shredder had been used for some time. Other disadvantages of many prior art shredders have involved the difficulties of adjustments, especially after grinding or replacement of assemblies associated with the blades.
When blade assemblies are employed in shredders, the blades in the holding assemblies must be sharpened from time to time and therefore should be easily accessible. They should also preferably be easily removable and interchangeable. After grinding or replacement of the blades, the relative positions of the blades with respect to each other must be readily adjusted to adjust both contact or loading between the blades of the assemblies as well as the amount of overlap between the blades.
In some shredding machines, such as those used for shredding monetary notes, additional considerations are present. It is important in these machines that the shredding be done throughly. The notes are generally individually cut thereby requiring the shredder blades to operate at very high speeds for efficiency. With the high speed of operation, it is important that means be provided to prevent clogging of the relatively closely spaced blades. This is so since the paper which makes up the notes has a high rag content making it difficult to cut cleanly over extended periods of time.